"The Best Guests Come Bearing Gifts"...The Magic Subway Key

by HANNAH LAWRENCE · April 26, 2010

The Magic Subway Key: Filling up a MetroCard every day, week, or month is annoying. And now, we happily present an alternative to you: there's a key that opens those alarmed gates next to the turnstiles...that costs a one-time fee of $27 -- the exact same price as a one-week unlimited card.-

Sure, it's supposed to be only for transit officials, police and other authoritative figures, but counterfeit copies are for us! A handful of lucky New Yorkers have stumbled upon these bad boys and are using them whenever they come across an unsupervised station. Think about it -- instantly bypassing those people who stand in front of the turnstiles while they search the depths of hell for their MetroCard and prevent you from catching the train that's idling in the station? Depending on how often you ride the subway, this key could shave some serious minutes off your commute.

Hands down the best part of this is that the keys seem to work in every subway station in New York. If you plan on spending today tracking down a copy, you'd better hurry because the fuzz is already looking to shut the whole operation down. 15 people have been arrested for possessing subway keys, but a Brooklyn man says even though they're being confiscated,

"copies are already on standby so if they get locked up, when they come back out on the street, they're still able to make money."

If anything, maybe put it on a chain and keep it to yourself that you've got a key to the city. Consider it a tangible ego boost.